Chapter 225: Chapter 202 : The Princess’ Gambit (Part 2)

“Sure, let’s go.”

Violet nodded and the pair headed to her room. Not her dorm room mind you, but her hotel room. With a mountain of credits at her disposal, she decided to do as Ralf did and rented an expensive hotel room in the Single Season Hotel. The room in question was on the same place floor as the ladies' sleep-together room and had more or less the same setup, just slightly bigger.

She moved most of what was previously in her dorm room into this room. The room was used as a pitstop more than anything else, with most of her nights being spent in the sleep-together room with Charlotte and Yuki. Noteworthy, Yuki and the others also had rooms in this hotel.

Entering the luxury suite, the Transmigrator got what he expected and what he didn’t. The size, decor and quality fell into the former category while the items present fell into the latter. The place was spotless but couldn't be called tidy. An array of canvases were lined up near the balcony and numerous towers of books were scattered about, giving the room a messy feel.

Welcomed in, Ray’s eyes focused on the books first and scanned the various titles present. One's preferences told much about who someone was as a person, and Ray was looking to broaden his understanding of the calculating broad beside him. But looking around and taking in the titles, his forehead couldn't help but crinkle.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason present. Given what little he knew (from watching the recordings and playing games with her), Ray expected to see horror, thriller and mystery books in mass. There were those of course, but they made up a small minority. Everything else was seemingly random and randomly arranged. There were fictional works of all genres and half the books looked to be non-fiction. Ray was one second away from calling it quits on making something out of the pile until a certain oddity struck him.

Indigenous Plants of Eroba Springs Volume 1 - by Josha Stanton (Society of Learning)

Water of Life - by Addi Turnerston.

Angel of Death - by Cooper Dunson.

No Man Left Behind, a tragic Tale of Bernade Goteden - by Engel Stuarts.

Tomorrow Never Comes - by Swatrs Poolman.

The Lady In White - by Destro Freeman.

Opium, A Drug or An Invisible Hug - by Saltano Evees.

Bees, An Unpraised Worker - by Adro Markmes.

Emison Reaction, The Power Of Tomorrow - by Jarod Coby (Society of Learning).

Your Name Is Death - by Tomptom Bromine.

Out Of Time - by Roger Earls.

Ulveni Tribe Great War = by Cot Juvv (Society of learning).

Racing To The Finishing Line - Carl Davids.

Forever and Ever - by Moses Breech.

Rising Like A Phoenix - by Mars Red.

Ice And Breaking It - by Guru Patell.

End Of Times - by Joesph Nostra

Nowhere To Run - by Mitten Daves.

Drowning In Sorrow - by Oscar Grant.

It wasn’t just this one tower; every tower was nineteen stories high and bore the same coded message.

Violet had, after settling the bet with the twins, hit the library and collected all the necessary books, combined them with her own collection and set things up. Given that Ray and Ralf were supposed equals, the princess decided to bank on Ray’s intelligence to spot the pattern. And spot the pattern, he did.

'Cringy to some, endearing to others. Which is it to me?' Ray showed a wry smile as he answered his own question.

“Thoughts, Ray?” Violet asked with a knowing smile.

“Thoughts? My thoughts are that you’ve been spending way too much time with Ralf...and that I’ll have to reduce that somehow.”

Violet’s eyes flickered. “You mean…”

“I accept…that’s all I’ll say,” Ray replied softly and shyly as he averted his gaze from Violet’s.

The princess jolted with joy; all her efforts had come to fruition. Bubbling with emotion, a radiant smile surfaced on her expression, which forced Ray’s gaze away again.

“How about those milkshakes?” he asked after doing a fake cough.

“Ah yes, I’ll get them right away.”

Saying this, Violet bounced to the fridge, humming along the way. She had stocked up more than a few milkshakes and made sure to buy several flavours just in case. After confirming his preference, she retrieved two, one for herself and one for him.

“Thanks,” Ray said before immediately thrusting the straw into his mouth. He needed to cool down. His temperature and heart rate were rising fast. As a chess grandmaster, he had mastered many gambits but this never-before-seen Princess’ Gambit was proving troublesome.

Not resigning, Ray sought out an out. In doing so, his sights refocused on the canvases he had noted before. "Oh..." He approached to get a better look, zigzagging past the towers of books. He stopped before the nearest canvas and cupped his chin while wearing a thoughtful look.

"Highly detailed yet impeccably clean, striking and dynamic in nature," Ray assessed the various anime-style drawings present. “You mentioned you were an artist, but I didn't think you'd be this good. Impressive stuff."

“Thanks, Ray, your words mean a lot,” the princess said with an ecstatic smile.

Ray wasn’t just Ralf’s other half, but an idol to her…as an artist. So, his praise filled her with joy.

“I was nervous showing it off. Glad you approve. I fell in love with anime-style art since first seeing it. I've rewatched the how-to video dozens of times at this point and continue to practice every day."

"Your effort shows," Ray nodded at his own words as he continued to eye the highly-detailed monstrosities before him. 'Hmm, these drawings look kind of familiar...especially that one, that one is a dead-ringer for The Ancient, Uranule the Devourer of Worlds. Latent memories of One World? Perhaps. Who knows, maybe her original self did battle against these monsters. Would certainly explain her fascination.'

Thinking this, the Transmigrator's interest spiked; he examined each drawing with a studious gaze.

“Hey, can I see more of your collection? There should be more, no? I remember Charlotte saying something about a black book, can I see that too?”

"Of course," Violet said, her voice jumping out of her throat.

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What followed was an art exhibit-level of showing off. The princess eagerly showed him everything she had. Ray received it gladly. His initial praise wasn’t a lie - he would never lie about these types of things - the lightning Mimic was truly gifted.

Every appraisal saw praise and compliments spill from his lips. At the same time, he added pointers as well as some light criticisms here and there. Violet accepted his words in stride. Ray was the world's number-one expert when it came to all things anime, so she hung on his every word with religious deference.

“All up already, huh,” Ray said, shaking his now empty milkshake container. It was his sixth one and the last one Violet had in stock. He floated it to the bin with his telekinesis and got up, leaving the edge of the bed.

"Ray?" Violet questioned from the bed, hugging a body pillow while sitting crosslegged. "Leaving already?”

“Yeah. I’ve enjoyed my stay, but all good things must come to an end…as these milkshakes remind me.”

“So, you only came for my milkshakes, huh,” Violet wore a pout as she accused.

Ray’s face faltered at her phrasing. He quickly averted his gaze to stare at the canvases. “Came for the milkshakes, stayed for the art,” he shrugged while saying. “And I’ve had my fill of both so…”

“You should stay longer…”

Violet didn’t rely on her word’s persuasiveness alone. After releasing the words, she conjured several lightning orbs. However, this time, Ray was prepared and he summoned a Psi barrier to defend against the irresistible heat; lightning wouldn’t be striking twice today.

The princess saw this and frowned. Ray just sighed in relief at having reacted fast enough. He knew his kryptonite well. Should he be doused with her heat, he would be here all night, at the very least.

In the passing seconds, Violet’s frown slowly undid itself as she came to terms with the session’s imminent end.

“One request before you leave,” Violet dismissed her Psi orbs. Ray relaxed at the sight but maintained his barrier for good measure. The lightning Mimic's brows furrowed a moment but she didn’t press the issue.

“I’m listening,” he replied, cautious.

“I want a hug.”

This time it was Ray’s face that became troubled. It stayed that way for several seconds more before acceptance invaded his heart and expression. The Transmigrator expelled all misgiving with a sigh and then refocused on the princess, who stared on with an expectant light swirling in her purple gaze.

“Fine, let’s hug,” he said, spreading his arms to welcome her future embrace.

A smile rushed to Violet’s face. Similarly quick were her motions towards him. Ray subconsciously took a step back but it was pointless. While not as fast as lightning, she was similarly unavoidable. She crashed into him, before wrapping him up tightly.

Taken aback by the initial impact, Ray had to find his footing. After doing so, a pause, before finally he completed the embrace.

‘Not bad…at all,’ Ray couldn’t help but admit internally.

The princess’ late mother, Belle had been labelled the most beautiful woman in the world while alive, and taking in Violet, the saying, 'the fruit didn't fall far from the tree' came to mind.

Her pleasant scent, tender body and ample chest pressing against him combined with her straightforward desire to be hugged by him, made for a devastating effect.

The catch-and-release-type-hug window passed out the window as Ray’s mind was recoiling from the sudden bliss. Violet didn’t move to release either. She enjoyed the experience and wanted to extend it for as long as possible, and thus, the pair remained bound, silent and still, unsure of how to proceed onward. Violet waited for Ray to make a move while Ray waited for Violet to make a move. It was due to this shifting of responsibility that the hug continued to linger.

As it did, the pair’s initial calm thoughts and emotions began getting rowdy. While the surrounding books were closed, Violet and Ray were no different from open books in these passing seconds.

Ray’s thoughts were the first to derail. He had been suppressing it for a while now but after prolonged exposure, the notion he had been smothering was given air. He was invited to a girl’s room at night, an extremely attractive girl at that, and was currently embracing said girl.

While he didn’t have all of Ralf’s memories, Ray knew that Violet was sheltered and inexperienced in socialising. Still, even as ignorant as she was, he believed that she couldn’t be so ignorant about relationships that she would do all she did tonight and not expect something to happen.

‘Something to happen…’

At the thought, Ray’s mind went wild with thoughts. Pandora’s box had seemingly been opened then and there, as countless futures played across his mind, all Violet - no pink in colour. Having these racy visions, his heartbeat raced and so too did his blood. Ray cut the blood supply to a certain organ in time, but couldn’t prevent the general chaos within.

In close contact, Violet sensed all these changes and reacted as well. Her once silent breath turned audible beside Ray’s ear and her body heat rose to match her heaters. Having dropped his defence, Ray also began heating up and he too released audible breathing beside her. The two vibrated in place, their hands growing more clammy by the second as their sensitivity heightened.

‘Something to happen…something to happen…something to ha- no! This is no good!’

Ray’s lust ceased its ascent as his rationality finally kicked in. Once his mental cogs resumed spinning, he found more and more reasons to abandon his current path. At the same time, an unpleasant memory found him. Reminded of his past error and its devastating consequence, he immediately shifted gears and then entire vehicles of thought.

“Hey Violet…I was thinking…”

“...Mmm, what about?”

Ray shivered at her voice. He didn’t know if it was his imagination or not, but her whispery notes sounded sultry to his ears. The reason he had just grabbed hold of slipped from his grasp. Thankfully, it was in his mitts by the next second.

After a gulp, he continued. “I was thinking, why don’t we make…an anime together?”

“Huh…wait, really!”

Violet’s response was delayed due to her expectations lying elsewhere, but after hearing his proposal, a thunderous jolt visited her, one of pure hype, flinging her voice out of her throat. She beamed and in excitement, grabbed his shoulders, pushed him away and faced him head-on to confirm his words.

Ray nodded to which Violet unleashed her most devastating smile yet. Blinded by it, he gently removed her hands and trailed off to the side while following up on his proposal.

“Really. Your drawings and ideas are interesting and unique…to say the least. I’m curious as to what kind of anime your twisted mind would create. A series is a bit challenging, so let’s start with a movie. I’ll be in charge of the actual animating and overall direction. Everything else is on you. The premise, the concept and character art, and the story will be your babies. Of course, not just anything will do. My standards are super high...but from the looks of it, so are yours. I doubt there'll be too many rejections throughout the process. And speaking of the process, with Charlotte's assistance, we'll be able to work on it in real time. So, Violet, what do you say, want to create an anime together?"

By the time Ray asked his question, he had already discreetly moseyed over to the corridor leading out.

“I’d love to, Ray. Let’s do it!” Violet said, brimming with a never-before-felt excitement.

Ray nodded and then turned away from the radiant princess. “Excellent, I look forward to working with you. For now, I’ll leave you to brainstorm, Lightning Princess. Work hard.”

Offering these words, Ray saw himself out, Violet’s determined “I will” and merry goodbye hitting his backside before the door could close. Once outside, Ray couldn’t help but exhale in relief and…

‘Safe…safe from what?’

Finding his bubbling emotions troubling, Ray sought a release and quickly disappeared from the spot.

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